2 days Ago By Bong O. Wenceslao
Alexandra Eala’s magical run in the recent Miami Open has placed her among the popular Filipino sports figures in the world, momentarily eclipsing even the men like the 7’3’ basketballer Kai Sotto, gymnast Carlos Yulo and pole vaulter EJ Obiena. She also has started earning millions of pesos in her sports discipline although boxer Manny Pacquiao is still tops in this regard. Eala also climbed in the world professional women’s tennis ranking, moving from 134 to 75, which ensures her automatic participation in tournaments like the grand slams (majors) and the WTA1000s (which are a grade lower than the majors).
After years of investing in Alex’s growth, her family is starting to get the so-called return of investment. While tennis is an expensive sport and is therefore not as popular as basketball in the Philippines, it enjoys a sizable following, especially in rich communities that can afford to build tennis courts. Unlike football that needs wider spaces, tennis courts have sprouted in many areas although these are not as many as basketball courts.
Some schools even include tennis in their sports programs or sporting events. Eala, though, has noted that she didn’t have enough Filipino women tennisters to idolize growing up, or Filipino players that blazed the trail, sort of. Dyan Castillejo, an ABS-CBN broadcaster and a former tennis athlete, may have remained true to the said sports discipline but she never became the tennis phenom that Eala has become.
One professional tennis player with Filipino blood that made it big recently in the women’s circuit is Leylah Fernandez, but she is representing Canada. Fernandez’s father is from Ecuador while her mother is Filipino-Canadian. No wonder Eala immediately became an idol of Filipinos everywhere.
Wherever she plays, a Filipino contingent composed of products of our version of the diaspora, follows her, with some of them proudly waving the Philippine flag. For the first time, Filipinos are being represented in the professional women’s tennis circuit of the world. Filipino tennis fans now have somebody to root for.
Eala’s magical run ended with her defeat to world number 4 Jessica Pegula in the semifinal round. Pegula herself was defeated in the finals by world number 1 Aryna Sabalenka. But before her defeat in the finals, Pegula had high praise for Eala, likening her game to that of Fernandez.
I read a tennis analyst who noted one advantage Eala has over Fernandez: the former is 5’9” while the latter is 5’6.” In tennis, height can also make a difference in a game. Eala is only 19 years old, which means that she still has many years ahead of her.
She had said that she wants to win a grand slam and further elevate her ranking. Which reminded me of that time when she was ranked 134 and somebody posted “future world number 1” in reaction to the post. That “somebody” was bashed because 134 to 1 seemed impossible to reach.
But after Eala’s magical run in Miami, I now ask: Who knows?.
